Chapter 71: Second Update

Brother Qin was always ready to help others, and when it came to men and women relationships, he held very traditional views. He preferred obedient and virtuous women of the old-fashioned kind and favored the "men handle the outside, women handle the inside" family model.

"Women should stay at home, doing laundry, cooking, and taking care of children. There's no need for them to go out and argue with people, which would just make them look like scolds. It's so unbecoming."

"At home, a woman should look up to her husband."

Gu Cheng nodded beside him. On the surface, he remained calm, but inwardly, he was wondering why Chen Baozhen's brother was so traditional. However, as a man, he could understand.

Most men generally preferred gentle and compliant women. A gentle and delicate girl could better arouse a man's protective instincts.

Qin Xuecai said, "Comrade, are you married too? Who makes the important decisions at home?"

Gu Cheng, with an air of nonchalance, replied, "For important matters at home, my wife listens to me."

Of course, there weren't many important matters in his family.

"That's the way it should be."

Xie Hongni stood nearby, listening to the two men with a dark expression. She felt like kicking both of them. These sexist pigs, any woman who marries them is doomed. Gu looked like a decent man, but he was still that kind of stubborn man.

As Qin Xuecai spoke, he glanced at Xie Hongni, hoping she would learn something and finally be enlightened. He wished she would understand the concept of looking up to her husband after marriage, giving up those questionable business dealings, and becoming a virtuous and submissive wife, so he could be at peace.

—Listen, to be gentle and obedient, that’s how you attract a good man.

He kept saying these things, hoping to lead by example and reinforce the idea of a "good wife and loving mother," thereby influencing Xie Hongni.

Blessed Buddha, he hoped Xiao Hong would understand his good intentions soon.

Qin Yao was visiting Chen Baozhen's home with Miao Cuiye. Chen Baozhen played a violin piece for them, which sounded beautiful to Miao Cuiye, even though she wasn’t refined enough to fully appreciate music.

"Teacher Chen is amazing!"

"It sounds good, really good!"

Chen Jialan's eyes lingered on the accordion and the beautiful cello. Chen Baozhen had many instruments at home, and her noble and elegant demeanor made her the ideal perfect woman.

She knew that Chen Baozhen was initially here to go on a blind date with Gu Cheng. Only a woman as outstanding as her could match the young and talented Gu Cheng. It was such a pity that Gao Jianguo had stolen her away.

As for Qin Yao, she was a thief. If not for Chen Baozhen's sake, how could she have possibly connected with Gu Cheng?

Both Chen Baozhen and Gu Cheng had been fooled by Qin Yao!

What skills did Qin Yao have? She had no talents, just a pretty face, like a decorative pillow. She called herself a writer, but she probably couldn’t even write a single piece if she sat on the toilet for half a day.

"Teacher Chen, could I ask you to teach me the accordion in the future?" Chen Jialan asked gently with a soft smile. She hoped to get to know Chen Baozhen, become her friend, and expose Qin Yao's true nature.

"Sure, you can ask me if you have any questions," Chen Baozhen replied politely. Her response wasn’t a harsh rejection, just a lukewarm acceptance. After living in the family apartment for so long, Chen Baozhen had learned to handle things more gracefully.

In the past, many elder sisters-in-law would politely ask her to teach them instruments, but Chen Baozhen had been reluctant and had bluntly turned them down, offending quite a few people. Gao Jianguo would argue with her about this at home, telling her to be more polite in social interactions and not to make relationships too stiff.

Chen Baozhen reluctantly agreed to teach a few people, only to find that their interest in learning instruments was just a passing phase. They would struggle with the basics like "do, re, mi" for a while before losing interest. It would fade away on its own.

After that, whenever someone asked her to teach them instruments, she would just say, "You can ask me if you have any questions."

Qin Yao was also preparing "milk oatmeal porridge" at Chen Baozhen's home. Her best friend, Chen Baozhen, was very supportive and praised her repeatedly. "Yaoyao, it’s delicious!"

"Tasty, isn't it? I think it's very delicious. I'll tell you how to make it."

Chen Baozhen: "That sounds simple. I'll cook it for Lao Gao tomorrow morning."

The two friends chatted together. Qin Yao shared the details and gave her a small bag of oatmeal.

"Little sister!"

Gu Cheng brought Qin Xuecai to Chen Baozhen's house, where they saw a group of people in the yard. Qin Xuecai immediately recognized his younger sister. She had indeed become thinner and prettier!

Qin Yao turned her head and saw Gu Cheng with a man and a woman. The bearded, burly Qin Third Brother looked so unfamiliar that she didn't react at first.

"Little sister! Yaoyao! I'm your Third Brother!" Knowing that he had changed a lot over the years and that his younger sister might not recognize him, Qin Third Brother quickly revealed his identity.

Qin Yao's eyes widened. "Third Brother! You're Third Brother!"

Why does my third brother look so much older, like an uncle to Gu Cheng?

"Little sister! Yaoyao! Brother misses you so much!"

Beside him, Gu Cheng's jaw was about to drop to the ground. His mind raced, thinking, "How did this happen? How did this happen?" The man standing next to him was actually his third brother-in-law. If he had known, he wouldn't have lingered on the road and would have gone straight home.

"Thank this good comrade for bringing me here." After reuniting with his sister, Qin Third Brother politely thanked the handsome young officer beside him.

Gu Cheng was speechless, but his face remained calm. He had long mastered the skill of keeping his emotions hidden.

"He? Brought you?" Only his wife noticed something was off with Captain Gu's expression.

Qin Yao stepped forward, took Gu Cheng's arm, and said, "Third Brother, this is your brother-in-law, Gu Cheng."

Gu Cheng's face was cold as he responded, "Nice to meet you, Third Brother. Glad to see you."

"This... this..." Qin Third Brother was overwhelmed. How did the good comrade he met on the road become his brother-in-law?

"He's my brother-in-law?"

This man doesn't seem like a gentle and considerate husband.

Xie Hongni, standing nearby, was equally confused. She felt that something was definitely not simple.

Qin Yao said she would bring her third brother home. Seeing Qin Third Brother's appearance, which looked like he had "just been liberated from a primitive slave society," Miao Cuiye said her goodbyes in advance, stating that she would go home and not disturb their family reunion.

Chen Jialan said she would stay at Teacher Chen's house to chat more about musical instruments.

As they walked into another courtyard with his younger sister and brother-in-law, Qin Xuecai was still a bit dazed. What just happened? Did his brother-in-law mistake him for someone else's brother?

"How did it come to this?" The confused Third Brother asked.

Qin Yao asked curiously, "Brother, what exactly did you say? How did people mistake you for Baozhen's older brother?"

Confused, he had accidentally but accurately ended up in front of her. It was indeed a coincidence that made for a good story.

"I said I was visiting my younger sister and brother-in-law. I said my brother-in-law was gentle and easy to bully, and they went, 'Oh, oh, oh,' and knew whose family it was..." Qin Third Brother said, his eyes fixed on Gu Cheng. He still suspected this brother-in-law was a fake.

How could the man with an icy aura be his gentle and easy-to-bully brother-in-law?

Qin Yao: "..." (speechless).

Let's not dwell on the details, the important thing is that he's here. The more you explain, the more confusing it gets.

Her third brother had never been smart since childhood; he's a bit of a simpleton.

Qin Yao's mother had a clear understanding of her son; with his personality, he would never make it big in society. He needed a shrewd and capable wife like Wang Xifeng to complement him.

Besides, someone as straightforward and honest as him was perfectly suited to join the army and become an upright soldier.

"Brother, why did you let yourself look like this? You should shave your beard," Qin Yao changed the subject, unable to stand Third Brother Qin's bushy beard.

"No need," Qin Xuecai immediately refused, "A man is not reliable without facial hair. This is what makes me manly."

Qin Yao: "...No, I can't stand it. You have to shave, and you should also trim your eyebrows. Brother, you look like a wild man."

Under his younger sister’s strong pressure, Third Brother Qin had no choice but to give in, shaving his beard and trimming his eyebrows, revealing a ‘plain and unadorned’ face.

Among Qin Yao's brothers, Third Brother was the most ordinary-looking. He wasn't particularly handsome but had a rugged and masculine appearance. With his height, he wouldn’t have any trouble attracting girls.

Third Brother Qin also found his beard somewhat inconvenient, but his 'wild man' look helped him avoid a lot of trouble, at least preventing women from throwing themselves at him one after another.

Qin Xuecai, being from the city and having a good physique, was quite a catch in the eyes of the village girls.

He was genuinely afraid of these girls who would get jealous, argue, and boss him around. So, following Xie Hongni's suggestion, he grew a big beard.

Over time, he became used to his scruffy appearance.

Qin Yao asked Gu Cheng, who had been silent for a long time, "What did you talk about with my brother when you came?"

As his wife, she might not know what was off with her own brother, but she could tell something was wrong with Gu Cheng. He had been unusually quiet today, and his silence was terrifying.

He must have been hiding something.

Gu Cheng calmly replied, "Not much, just a brief chat."

"Absolutely, my brother-in-law is very enthusiastic," Qin Xuecai chimed in.

Xie Hongni said, "The two of them hit it off, talking all the way about 'a woman should obey her husband and how to discipline women.'"

Qin Yao gave an "Oh" and glanced sideways at Gu Cheng.

They really were of the same ilk, always thinking about rebellion.

Qin Yao gave a certain someone a not-so-good look.

Captain Gu gave a look indicating he needed to 'appeal.'

That night, the four of them sat by the lamp for dinner. Qin Yao prepared two guest rooms for Qin Xuecai and the others to spend the night. At the dinner table, Qin Xuecai brought up the matter of helping Xie Hongni find a partner.

"Hongni’s situation is a bit complicated. Sister, help if you can; if not, just let it be."

"What do you mean ‘just let it be’? Who asked you to help?" Xie Hongni said irritably. She wanted to ‘motivate’ the simple-minded Qin brother, but with his sister present, she couldn’t act.

The simple-minded Qin brother always called her silly, but she wasn't stupid; she knew what to do in different situations.

Qin Yao observed the interaction between the two and thought, everything is understood without words; her brother is a real simpleton.

That night, back in the bedroom, Qin Yao was about to confront Gu Cheng, but the man struck first, holding her down and giving her a few swats on the buttocks, taking revenge for the ‘forced feeding’ from the previous day.

"Reflect on what you did yesterday, Qin Yao. You should write a self-criticism."

Qin Yao was both angry and amused. She said with a cold, menacing tone, "Let me tell you, I have a long memory."

"Me too."

"Fine, we’ll sleep in separate rooms."

"No way, things have a certain order. As a married couple, we need to settle yesterday’s accounts first, let’s see how you mistreated me yesterday..."

Captain Gu pinned his wife down to settle the score.

The next morning, Qin Yao got her revenge, forcing him to finish a large bowl of oatmeal before letting him out the door, leaving Gu Cheng smelling of milk, vowing to get back at her next time.

After tasting a spoonful of the oatmeal his sister cooked, Third Brother Qin found it not too bad, but he deeply empathized with his brother-in-law.

Qin Yao took them to Chen Baozhen’s house to hang out for half a day.

Later, Third Brother Qin mentioned he had taken a liking to Gao Yingzi.